A Constructivist Argument

Many learning theories have developed while trying to understand cognitive development in education. Researchers who focused on the instructional design of education, were driven by the individualistic needs of traditional education rather than what could be done to disseminate the knowledge of others. This Instructivist theory was a very objective and systematic way of educational approach, argued by what was taught had to be strategically presented within traditional classroom discourse accompanied by progressive and identifiable objectives. Special attention was also made to what prior knowledge was necessary to develop an effective learning environment. (Kanuka and Anderson, 1999)

A contrasting approach to learning theory was established with a viewpoint that the learner, not the content, should be the focus of the environment. This constructivist learning theory arose with varying degrees of cognitive development, socially and individually, from objective to subjective. The overlying theme of constructivism depicts learning as being communication specific with the focus being on the learner. However, even within constructivism there exists tension within the main theoretical foundation that leads to cognitive developmental change. The overlying strain is found in the debate between individually constructed reality and socially constructed reality; prior knowledge versus personal experience.

This constraint found deep within a single theory causes the focus of research to descend on one side or another into categorical views. The argument of experience before knowledge can cause one to write volumes, which can easily become the focus of an entire career. To ensure that this paper doesn’t get out of hand, one could make the initial assumption that experience will precede knowledge in cognitive development. Theoretically speaking, the argument aligns itself to include rationale of experience being the cause of knowledge and not vice-versa. For example, once one is born into this world, knowledge quickly follows experience, but it is the initial experience that shapes knowledge. For example, if one were to get burnt by a hot ember in a fireplace, then one would certainly retain that knowledge when they exposed to another experience of an open fire. There must be an initial experience that provides contextual understanding in order for knowledge to be obtained.

Social constructivists argue that knowledge is constructed collaboratively, and that experience is governed by this community of learning. Additionally, it is stated that no two individuals will perceive the exact same meaning from any given experience (Kanuka and Anderson, 1999). Contrasting realities will cause social experience to grow based upon the experience and knowledge of social networking. However, the more extreme constructivists will contest that knowledge is personally constructed and that knowledge is determined solely by individual experience (Cooper, 1993). This theory states that what we know is merely an assumption with a limited degree of certainty (Young, 1997). While we are young, our knowledge is weak, but as we grow in insight and experience, this knowledge develops to a more advanced degree of understanding. It is not a complete matter of objectivity or subjectivity, but as experiences occur, there is certainly a sense of bias included in our understanding.

Over time, a pattern of understanding emerges as we begin to interpret our social interactions (Wittengenstein, in Sprio, et al., 1991). These very social experiences are the root of our knowledge, causing knowledge to grow upon past experience and shape future experiences to come. Eventually, less experience is required to build our knowledge, as our ever-evolving collection of personal information will continue to build off of old experiences into even broader understandings. It only takes a child once to experience the discomfort of a hot stove top to provide them with the understanding not to touch it again. Who needs to re-experience the pain of being burned to understand not to touch a hot surface?

Once knowledge is created from experience, it becomes reality. Once this reality is challenged, dissonance is developed followed by a deeper understanding is created and expanded by additional cognitive experience. It is at this point that individuals can expound their experiential knowledge with others creating this collaborative learning community based on social constructivist theories.